U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,406 shows a tube coupling in which a metal or plastic tube can be coupled in a fluid-tight connection to a valve or the like simply by pressing the tube into the coupling. The tube is held into the coupling by a flexible gripper ring having teeth, which bite into the tube to prevent the tube from being pushed out by the fluid pressure in the coupling. The teeth are arranged such that the tube can be removed from the coupling by unscrewing the coupling but cannot be removed simply by axially pulling the tube without rotation of the tube. An O-ring seal is provided to prevent leakage of fluid outside of the coupling around the tube.
One of the advantages of the invention of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,406 is that by screwing the tube out of the gripper ring there is minimal damage to the surface of the tube. This then enables other advantageous arrangements of the seal and the gripper ring within the coupling.
With the introduction of softer plastic tubing, such as, polybutylene or PEX [cross-linked polyethylene, plastic] to the plumbing industry, the demands on the holding power of the gripper ring have increased. The softer tubing material can cause the teeth of the gripper ring to gouge grooves in the tubing when the tubing is subjected to high numbers of repeated cycles at higher hydrostatic pressures.